Support piers for mines



Dec. 29, 1970 R. BoRE SUPPORT PIERS FOR MINES Filed April 5, 1968 il |.l7 TLD w U 6 5M --4.| 1| 4 I e l oO 1 wmv/L4 H F u O m 2 1 .w/ w f/l4 Il E D United States Patent Ollice 3,550,383 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 3,550,383 SUPPORT PIERS FOR MINES Raymond Bore, 61 Rue des Ireclaude, 42 Saint Etienne, France Filed Apr. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 718,459 Claims priority, applicxtion France, Apr. 3, 1967,

rm. cl. Ezld 23/00 U.S. Cl. 61-45 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to improvements to support piers of the kind used in mines.

There are known piers formed by four props in the middle of which, in the case of a mobile pier, there is a shifting jack adapted to bear on a conveyor or similar device.

This jack is close to being perpendicular to the props, and it is generally known as the horizontal jack. Such a jack can be used to move the pier by bearing on the conveyor, or to shift the conveyor by thrusting against the pier. As a result of the presence of the quantity of rubble which lies along the iloor of a mine face, the shifting of the conveyor and the moving of the pier cause transverse reactions in the assembly applying stresses to the horizontal jack because this is rigidly xed to the props.

The present invention has the main aim of overcoming this disadvantage.

According to this invention, a support pier comprises four vertical props between which there is a horizontal jack, the jack being suspended from the props by flexible connections.

Preferably, the rear end of the horizontal jack is joined to the four props by four chains arranged in the form of a cross in a substantially horizontal plane, and the front of the jack is connected to the two front props by two chains perpendicular to the jack and in a substantially horizontal plane.

It will be understood that such a system will allow a vertical displacement of the jack sufficient not to stop rubble passing between the pier props, whilst in addition its great simplicity gives it the robustness necessary for use.

One construction of a pier for use in a mine, and its method of use will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section, along the line I-I in FIG. 2, of a hydraulic support pier, and

FIG. 2 is a section along the line II-II of FIG. 1.

The hydraulic support pier shown in the drawings comprises four jacks, namely two front jacks 1 and two rear jacks 2 which bear on the floor 3 by shoes 4. On their tops, the jacks 1 and 2 carry headings 5 with which they can be clamped to the roof. Cross members 19 and 18 areconnected to the four support jacks.

Between the front jacks 1 and the coal-face, not shown, there is placed a conveyor 6 of any type whatever, on the side of which bears the stem 7 of a horizontal jack. The cylinder 8 of this jack is fastened to the props 1 and 2 of the pier. As in the known arrangements this doubleaction horizontal jack allows either the shifting of the conveyor 6 by thrusting against the pier 1-2 whilst the latter is clamped to the roof, or the moving of the pier, when slackened, by bearing against the conveyor 6.

The invention consists of making the linkage of the cylinder 8 to the pier jacks 1 and 2 in a flexible manner, in order to allow the relative movements made necessary during the operations of shifting or moving the pier by the presence of rubble, not shown, on the floor 3.

The rear of the cylinder is fixed to a cap 9 to which are connected the ends of four chains 10, 11, 12 and 13. These latter are arranged in a cross, in an approximately horizontal plane, and their other ends are anchored to hooks 14 and 15 provided on the bases of the jacket 1 and 2 respectively.

In addition, two transverse chains 16 and 17 are connected to the front of the cylinder 8, and their other ends are anchored to the bases of the front jacks 1. It will be seen that the six chains 10, 11, '12, 13, 16 and 17 are situated in approximately the sarne horizontal plane. They retain the jack 7-8 in the longitudinal axis of the support piers, that is in the plane of the vertical section I--L whilst on the other hand, they allow a certain degree of movement in this vertical plane with respect to the oor 3.

It must be understood that the preceding description has been given only by way of example, and that it in no way limits the scope of the invention which will not be avoided by replacing the constructional details described by any other equivalents.

In particular, the scope of the invention will not be avoided by using the arrangement described on any type of support pier whatever, along with a hydraulic control system.

I claim:

1. A support comprising at least two pairs of vertical props, each of said props positioned in a corner to form a rectangular configuration; a horizontal jack means having at least a cylinder and a plunger stern disposed between the pair of props; four chains connected between the rearward end of the cylinder and the props, the four chains being disposed in a substantially horizontal plane and in the form of a cross; and two chains connected between the forward end of the cylinder close to the plunger stern and the front prop of each pair of props, the two chains being disposed in a substantially horizontal plane perpendicular to the jack means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,355,898 12/1967 Barrett et al. 61-45 3,367,117 2/1968 Weirich et al. 61-45 FOREIGN PATENTS 982,024 2/1965 Great Britain 6l-45 140,777 1961 U.S.S.R 61--45 JACOB SHAPIRO, Primary Examiner 

